No Trigger – “Tycoon”

Back in late 2010, the hardcore punk band No Trigger released this video, announcing that they were getting back together to write a new record. Before this, their last full length album (Caynoneer) takes us all the way back to 2006 so at this point, fans of the band were just dying for new material. No Trigger plays a blend of melodic hardcore punk and technical music — a style that isn’t really popular anymore now that skatepunk seems to be dead in the US, so I’m glad to see them come out with new stuff and breath some life into the genre. If you want a comparison, they’re like a lovechild of Strike Anywhere and A Wilhelm Scream.

Let me start off this review by saying this record is EXACTLY what I expected. But I mean this in a good way. No Trigger is one of few bands I can say has a “perfect” style. Aggressive, lightning fast, and full of heartfelt emotion/lyrics.

When the opening riff of “Maple Boy” blasted through my speakers, it immediately took me back to when I was in middle school, (attempting to) skateboarding in our driveways on a hot summer day. The hook in this song is as catchy as anything they’ve done. The hits keep on coming as we head right into “Dried Piss” (best track name of the year?). They released this song before the album was released… I guess to let us know they were back and better than ever because this song absolutely kills it.

If I had to pick a single for them to release, it would be “Checkmate”. A very bouncy chorus along with some great guitar harmonizing riffage to close it out.

The blitzkrieg of awesomeness continues in the latter half of the record. One of my favorites, “Mountaineer” has an intro that resembles something you’d hear on a Half Hearted Hero song with the dueling technical guitar parts while “New Brains” is a bit slower, but features lots of “Whoa Ohs!” reminiscent of Anti-Flag songs making it another singalong anthem. And I don’t want to spoil anything, but the outro of the final track “Turn In My Throat” is something to behold. Let’s just say that they should end with that song every night at shows.

This is an album that grabs hold of you from start to finish, with no sign of letting go and is destined to be a classic in my book. There is absolutely no filler… not even one wasted second on this album.

I hope we don’t have to wait that long again for another No Trigger record.